Chapter 1: Strange Phenomena in the Underworld

  When the trickling fine water, which had been sealed for a winter, ripples because of the gentle breeze, when the tender green grass breaks through the soil, and when the golden sunlight flows like a stream in the mountains and forests, people walk out of their houses, holding their primitive and modern labor tools to work in the mountains. People are busy again with new hope.

  The arrival of spring, the village of Sakura comes alive from its winter silence. A few mongrel dogs chase and play in the village, a group of hens peck at food in the ash heap, occasionally tilting their necks to let out a "cluck" or two, or being chased by a dog and running wildly about. Children herd water buffalo out of the village in groups, while old folks wear straw sandals to go up the mountain to work.

  In short, they started doing that week-in and week-out rural work again.

  The east wind is like a girl's hand stroking the earth, the mountains are lush and green, the tender leaves of the trees sway in the gentle breeze, the creek water at the foot of the mountain is clear and flowing ceaselessly, the fields in the village, with the renewal of the soil bringing new life, harmonize with the diligent oxen, trampling the darkness and dawn's horizon.

  The warm sunshine scattered a head of golden hair over the grassy ground.

  At dawn, the old village chief got up. The first thing he did after getting up was to go and see his beloved flower seedlings that changed his life. He had previously received several thousand yuan and was enthusiastically working in his own flower garden. The village director also fertilized and weeded the flower seedlings with suspicion. At this time, the flowers that bloomed earlier already showed their smiling faces.

  Ouyang Qing, with a sense of idealism and the hope of making the village director rich, often guided them in planting flowers day and night until those vibrant flowers in the flower beds could be taken to market for sale.

  He has been here for the third year, according to the time limit set by the leader, he must return to his own unit. If the villagers really become rich, he can submit a satisfactory answer sheet to the leader, and if the leader is really satisfied, then he can be transferred to be the mayor of Qianlong Town, which was agreed three years ago.

  To his leader, he is very trustworthy, just like trusting his own destiny. The leader's arrangement, he can be said to have done his best.

  Of course, all his efforts in the village were not just because he could take on the role of town mayor. After coming to the village, he felt that changing the backward situation of the village was his mission and his honor. In other words, he did not work hard just for the sake of being a town mayor.

  Now, he is about to leave this place, but the villagers are still so bewildered, and life has not changed much. So, every time he lies in bed, he can't sleep, tossing and turning. Until the village director and old village chief's flowers planted in winter slowly head to the city amidst the bumps of the horse carriage.

  Today is the time to sell flowers, the village director used a horse-drawn carriage to pull the flowers, and with Ouyang Qing's help, they drove the carriage into the city, displaying a whole carriage of vibrant flowers in front of the urbanites.

  It just so happens that today is Valentine's Day, and the roses planted by the village director were snatched up by those romantic or fashionable young men and women as soon as they arrived in the city, with each flower selling for tens or even hundreds of yuan. With a car full of flowers sold out, the village director rushed home with tens of thousands of yuan in joy and excitement, and as soon as he got home, he eagerly told his wife about the harvest and surprise. His wife, who was washing her hair, didn't even have time to dry it before she grabbed the money from the village director's hand and counted it several times, getting so excited that she burst into tears. Seeing so much money, she had already forgotten the scene where they quarreled and wanted to hang themselves when they first planted the flowers.

  The next day, she swaggered around like the old village head's wife used to, telling people that she was now a rich person, a real rich person, no longer that poor old woman.

  The villagers were puzzled by this propaganda, they did not speak out, but remained silent. At first, they curiously gathered together to listen to the village director's wife's eloquent talk, and then returned home in silence with questions and admiration.

  A few days later, they put down the hoe that had been polished smooth in their hands and came to the village office with piety and repentance, surrounding the village office like a pilgrimage waiting for Ouyang Qing to get up. They looked at a simple room on the second floor of the village office and shouted loudly, sincerely asking Ouyang Qing for forgiveness, and finally asked Ouyang Qing for help, they also wanted to become rich people.

  Ouyang Qing stood on the second floor of the village office building, looking down at the crowd below who were gazing up at him with pleading and helpless eyes. He looked at them as if he were a mighty emperor gazing out at his subjects. After a long time, he finally spoke loudly: "Fellow villagers, you can rest assured that I have come here to ensure everyone lives a good life." This simple sentence was as weighty as Jesus' promise to his disciples, and it moistened the parched hearts of every person like sweet spring water.

  "Thank you, Comrade!" The villagers downstairs shouted in unison, each and every one of them excited beyond words, the whole scene was just like ancient subjects paying homage to their emperor.

  From then on, Ouyang Qing contacted the medicine merchant from before and brought back flower seeds. He treated this place as a medicinal herb cultivation base. Everyone was busy with their work, and the whole village, the entire mountain saw people planting flowers and herbs. They planted flowers and herbs, which not only beautified the environment but also allowed them to live a good life. What's not to be happy about?

  After a year of hard work, people's minds have changed and they have put aside traditional farming to study the varieties of flowers and grasses. Ouyang Qing also asked Lan Jingqiu, Qian Xiaohong and others to bring books on flower cultivation for the villagers of Sakura Village. If funds were insufficient, Lan Yutong would allocate money for them. In short, he just wanted to let ordinary people live a good life.

  Like the Foolish Old Man who moved mountains, several months passed in a flurry of activity. The villagers' worried faces unfolded into smiles, each one beaming with joy. Having money really does make life better! And Cherry Blossom Village was wrapped in beautiful flowers. The desolate village suddenly became lovely, and only now did people truly discover how beautiful the village was, with its clear streams and lush mountains.

  Transforming the economic crops, Ouyang Qing achieved his first plan, and the next one is to repair the road. However, the deadline he set with the municipal government has arrived, and now he can return with joy of success. As for the road repair issue, after becoming the town head, he will not forget it, which is his second plan to change the village.

  That day, he went to the village and inspected the strange flowers and grasses in the villagers' fields. He then explained everything to the village head and proposed to return to the city. The villagers heard that the person who had brought them a happy life was leaving and were reluctant to let him go, repeatedly trying to persuade him to stay, but ultimately only able to wish him a smooth journey.

  The villagers saw him off for several miles before returning. He also set out on his journey with tears streaming down his face.

  He returned to Haizhen City at night and rested in his dormitory for a night. The next morning, he went to work early.

  Due to his excitement, and because he couldn't wait to tell the leader that he had succeeded, Ouyang Qing had already walked into the office. He sat in the seat, flipping through the photos taken in Sakura Village, waiting for the appointment as the mayor of Qianlong Town as promised earlier.

  To be honest, he used to want to be an official, especially a top leader, because being an official can make things happen and make others follow his intentions. But since he went to Sakura Village, he realized that being an official is not just for personal gain, but rather it's about serving the people and bringing them happiness. In other words, before he wanted to be an official for the sake of prestige, but now he wants to be an official in order to continue serving the people, because contributing one's power to others is the greatest happiness and pride!

  Finally, the car downstairs honked and drove into the municipal government compound. He knew that his colleagues had started a new day of work. He walked to the window and saw the director get out of a "Ford" sedan, then slammed the door shut with a "bang". The director held a briefcase in hand and went upstairs. He walked to the back of the door, listened carefully, and heard the director take out a set of keys. The keys made a crisp jingling sound in the director's hand, and then he heard the director insert the key into the lock, making a "click" sound as the door opened. Then, with another "bang", the office door closed again.

  Ouyang Qing waited for a while in the office and felt that the director should have tidied up his office by now, so he came to the director's office and knocked on the door.

  "Come in!" The director said a rather fashionable English sentence inside the house, and Ouyang Qing pushed open the door and walked in.

  The director was reading the newspaper, his fat body nestled in a leather chair, with his legs propped up on the office desk. When he saw someone coming in, he put his legs down.

  Seeing Ouyang Qing, he felt a little embarrassed, his eyes dodged, and in order to maintain a natural demeanor, he picked up the teacup on the table and took a sip of tea.

  "Is it you?!" he said.

  "Yes," Ouyang Qing stood at attention with her hands by her sides, "it's me."

  "Anything wrong?" he asked.

  "Of course," said Ouyang Qing, "coming to your office so early, I don't think I'm disturbing your busy work?"

  "You should be able to see this!"

  "Oh, but still, I'd like to disturb you a bit. You see, this is the result of my three years of work." Ouyang Qing placed a photo album in front of the director. This was what Ouyang Qing had photographed when he entered and left the village, as evidence of his labor achievements. To compare the desolation of Sakura Village before he went there with its prosperity after he returned, Ouyang Qing took pictures to show the contrast.

  "This village is very beautiful," the director said simply after glancing at the photos, nodding politely and commenting briefly, "However, I don't seem to see what this has to do with me?"

  The director looked at the coldness expressed in the photo album, causing Ouyang Qing to have a strange and ominous premonition. His originally surging emotions suddenly became icy like being doused with a basin of cold water.

  "How's this result?" He also wanted to continue asking, "This was agreed upon three years ago."

  "Is it?" The director leaned back in his chair, "But what did you say?"

  "Director," Ouyang Qing said somewhat nervously, "three years ago, I and a colleague competed for the position of mayor of Puanlong Town. You told us to each find a village to serve as a package village cadre, then lead them to prosperity, whoever's achievements stood out would take on this role."

  "Is that so?" The director pretended to frown and said, "It was I who said it. I think you remembered wrongly. Brother - my calling you this shows that I still have a close relationship with you - do you think a town can wait for three years? Everyone knows that all places are eager to develop now, it's impossible for there to be no town head for three years."

  "But - oh, thank you for the kind words, that's exactly what you said at the time. I remember it clearly, in front of three people, and even in this office, the scene... hmm, just like this scene now, you were sitting and I was standing." Ouyang Qing said anxiously.

  "Maybe what you're saying is true, or maybe you've got it wrong," the director said with a smile. "But even if what you're saying is correct, so what? We've had a town head in Pinyin Town for three years already."

  "Who is it?" Ouyang Qing didn't dare believe her ears.

  "It's just that colleague who is competing with you," said the director, still looking so relaxed.

  "Didn't I just say......" Ouyang Qing almost fell to the ground.

  "What era is this now?!" The director's smile turned into a cold sneer, as he looked at Ouyang Qing with disdain. "What makes you think you can compete with others? What do your parents do? Do you have any background? Do you have money? You're so naive! Weren't there people who helped you raise over 200,000 yuan back then? But you didn't use it."

  "Get me out of here?!" Ouyang Qing gritted her teeth and said, "This is a conspiracy!"

  His whole body was trembling, his eyes fixed on the director, seeing that the director still had a cold and nauseating smile on his face, he became even angrier. He felt like a fool, a clown, being manipulated by the director like a monkey. With the director's disgusting expression now, he even felt his lungs were exploding into pieces.

  He clenched his fist and struck out with a fierce punch.

  A loud "Ah" came from inside the house and echoed through the office!